1MDB scandal: Court in Malaysia postpones former PM Najib’s biggest trial

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak is facing 42 charges of corruption, abuse of power and money laundering in five separate criminal cases

The case was postponed to allow his first trial, which started in April, to conclude

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Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:46pm, 19 Aug 2019Updated: 10:18pm, 19 Aug 2019

The second trial of Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund was on Monday delayed by a week to allow his first trial to end.

Najib, who lost a general election last year, has been hit with 42 criminal charges of corruption and money laundering at the state fund. Najib, 65, denies wrongdoing and accuses the new government under Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad of seeking political vengeance.

Chief prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said the last witness in Najib’s first trial is midway through testifying and the case should end this week. The first trial began in April on seven charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering related to 42 million ringgit (US$10.1 million) that allegedly went into Najib’s bank accounts from a former 1MDB subsidiary.

High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah agreed to postpone the second trial until August 26.

In the second trial, Najib faces four counts of abusing his power to receive a total of 2.3 billion ringgit (US$551 million) from 2011 to 2014, and 21 other charges of receiving, using and transferring illicit funds linked to 1MDB.

Defence lawyers asked the judge to start the trial by September 3 if the first trial cannot end this week and also to give them time to study lengthy witness statements they had just received.

Sequerah insisted the trial, which should have started in August, should not be further delayed. He said he will review the date again on Thursday.